Reducing Opioid Use in Orthopaedic Surgery.

The opioid crisis has been an issue in the United States since the mid-1990s, claiming numerous lives and presenting a significant challenge to health care clinicians. Various preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative strategies aimed at reducing opioid consumption can be used by orthopaedic surgeons to help minimize this crisis. Preoperative screening tools can help identify patients at risk for prolonged opioid use, allowing for tailored interventions and counseling.

Outcomes of Bilateral Shoulder Arthroplasties: A Comparison of Bilateral Total Shoulder Arthroplasties and Bilateral Reverse Shoulder Arthroplasties.

Background: The purpose of this study was to compare outcomes of patients who underwent bilateral total shoulder arthroplasties (TSAs) for osteoarthritis (OA) versus bilateral reverse shoulder arthroplasties (RSAs) for cuff tear arthropathy (CTA).

Methods: Inclusion criteria were patients who underwent bilateral TSAs for OA or bilateral RSAs for CTA with at least 2 years of follow-up. Twenty-six TSA patients (52 shoulders) were matched 2 to 1 with 13 RSA patients (26 shoulders) by sex, age at first surgery, and time between surgeries.